Toy guns - OK or not??

[ladybird11]

As the title implies, I'm wondering what people think about whether its ok (in their household) for kids to play with toy guns.

My DD walked up to me with a bright orange toy gun an hour ago while I was cooking dinner (I seriously have no idea where it came from, I've never seen it before , but thats another story )...And I started thinking 'hmmm, not sure if I'm ok with her playing with toy guns, no matter how fake it appears'.

So do you let your kids play with toy guns - is it harmless fun or could it lead to something more sinister??

[Astrolady]

We do not allow toy guns in our household. But being kids they will make play guns out of anything including their own hands and fingers.

[Phteven]

I don't see the need to buy toy guns - they can make a gun out of a stick or their fingers if they want to play a gun game. That said I'm all for water pistols on a hot day.
Same with swords and light sabres, they can make their own if they want them.

[Feijoa Mum]

I dont allow guns in my house either. Despite my protests my family still used to buy water guns and would call me mean when I confiscated them. I just think that of all the toys there are for them to play with why does it have to be a gun?
In saying that though boys being boys I guess, once mine hit a certain age the lego became a great gun making tool much to my dismay.

[Floweryfields]

Personally I don't like them and my children won't have guns.

[BellyBelly]

We don't have them here either, and never will.

[boomba]

Nope no guns here...but DS1 has pretended wiht his hands??? No idea where it came from ?

[Lulu]

I won't have it either but I WILL have water pistols - much fun-ness!
But they can and do make guns out of anything...

[AliBaby]

I dont like toy guns either.

[Phteven]

Speak of the devil.... Yasin is busy right now shooting his brother with a pair of trouser hangers.
TBH I've retty much reached a point where I barely see the need for toys. We left Australia with about 4 trains and a colouring book. Since then they've picked up 3 cars, a plush reindeer, some snow 'shovels' and some lego. They're just as happy with this tiny collection as they were with their boxes of toys in Australia and their imagination is getting a pretty good workout (Yasin has decided against shooting Imran because he's just a baby elephant and decided to protect him from poachers instead- wtf?!)

[ladybird11]

Yes, I'm certainly not comfortable with them either - DH thinks I'm over reacting- but I have 'hidden' the toy gun - in the bottom of the rubbish bin , no one will miss it there!

[Rouge]

I think the thing to remember is, that toys are just a prop. The ideas about violence stem from television/movies, playgrounds, computer games and so forth. So the best way to combat violence in children and lets face it guns are violent, is to talk about it with your kids. And make sure the material you subject your children to is age appropriate. I think if you do one and not the other it's a waste of time. You can take away the violent props but they still have fists... KWIM?

[Lulu]

Mitch is only allowed to 'shoot' us with jellybeans, but he loaded his 'gun' with kisses yesterday....

[Phteven]

awwww, that's so sweet.

[Oorki Galoorki]

We dont have guns and i detest gun play!
but DS has picked up on how to play guns (from church! grr) but also now has clicked to call it other names if i ask what he is playing with but i will say that it looks the same and he knows our rules..
It frustrates me SOOO much that i seem to be not able to 'control' this type of play..

[Indadhanu]

Nope, not here, although they don't really need them to play. I have to have THE GUN TALK multiple times a day with the kids where i work, they don't even need a gun representation, even the noise alone is enough to play a shooting game!

[Artechim]

We do not play with guns or any shooting games here. DH has several firearms for hunting and will teach the children to use them under supervision and with all the safety precautions when they are old enough. We want them to know from the start that it is never alright to aim a gun at a person.
We are quite lucky here that there is a pre-schooler television channel which only has wholesome shows on like Postman Pat, Rupert Bear and Playskool type shows and no advertising so he has never been exposed to any shooting/violence off the telly. DS so far has never really pretended to shoot anything and absolutely loves helping DH clean the guns.

[~MummaBear~]

i cant stand toy guns but like most other children mine make them out of anything, lego, coathangers toilet rolls you name it my boys make them....they do know that anything the do make that points at someone and shts gets taken tho!